Charlie Smith
THE EU has issued Spain with a written warning over its radon gas levels due to lung cancer risks.
It comes as the Spanish Government has failed to implement an EU directive on exposure to ionizing radiation.
EU rules stipulate that member states must have a national plan for the harmful effects of the invisible and odourless radon.
Although radon naturally seeps through the ground, high concentrations of the gas, in areas like Madrid and southern Galicia, pose greater lung cancer risks.
The European Commission has also pressed Austria, Estonia, Hungary and Belgium to do more on tackling the threat of radon.
A deadline of February 6 2018 had been set by the European Commission for member states to adhere to the correct legal framework.
Brussels’ intervention now gives Spain and the other countries that have been inactive on the radiation directive, two months to respond to the European Commission’s questions.
If they fail to do this, the EU will then issue a ‘reasoned opinion’, which is the last stage before the matter is brought before the EU Court of Justice.
The directive in question aims to improve the safety of workers and reduce public exposure to radon.
